Poor regulation causing hundreds of deaths from contaminated medicines globally, says WHO report

Since 2022, at least 300 people – mainly children – have died from cough and paracetamol syrups containing toxic industrial chemicals Copy link twitter facebook whatsapp email Copy link twitter facebook whatsapp email Copy link twitter facebook whatsapp email Copy link twitter facebook whatsapp email Weak regulation has allowed children’s medicines like cough syrup and paracetamol to be laced with toxic industrial chemicals leading to hundreds of deaths, according to a report by the World Health Organization. Since 2022, at least 300 people – mainly children in Africa and Asia – have died from cough and paracetamol syrups containing diethylene glycol (DEG) and ethylene glycol (EG): industrial chemicals that are used to make products like brake fluid and antifreeze. The chemicals – a cheap replacement for medicinal glycol – are toxic in even small amounts and cause acute kidney damage that often proves fatal. The WHO report, released jointly with the United Nations Office on Drugs and C

Since 2022, at least 300 people – mainly children – have died from cough and paracetamol syrups containing toxic industrial chemicals Copy link twitter facebook whatsapp email Copy link twitter facebook whatsapp email Copy link twitter facebook whatsapp email Copy link twitter facebook whatsapp email Weak regulation has allowed children’s medicines like cough syrup and paracetamol to be laced with toxic industrial chemicals leading to hundreds of deaths, according to a report by the World Health Organization. Since 2022, at least 300 people – mainly children in Africa and Asia – have died from